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Suprise government announcement on Newbury nature reserves
22 February 1996
The Highways Agency is today expected to announce plans to attempt to reduce the impact of the Newbury Bypass on the rivers Lambourn and Kennet Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Friends of the Earth said that the late decision to redesign the road's river crossings shows how efforts to mitigate the environmental damage of the road are being made on the hoof'.
The surprise move follows increasing concern over the road's impacts and years of objections from the Government's National Rivers Authority (NRA),which has repeatedly opposed the impacts of the road on the rivers'ecology and hydrology. Concerns have also been raised by official wildlife watchdog English Nature (EN) over damage that would result to wildlife habitats.
The present designs involve massive embankments (in places up to 200m wide) that would obliterate large areas of river floodplain, run right up to the rivers' edges, inhibit river flow during flood periods and impede the movement of wildlife. The new design will preserve areas of natural river bank by making the bridge spans wider. For the most part however, the embankments remain. The NRA and EN have pressed for viaducts that would have better preserved the nationally important riverine environments,but this was refused due to increased costs.
Tony Juniper, Deputy Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth, said:
"A quiet deal has been done behind closed doors to give the illusion that the Government cares about wildlife. If they really do care, then work should stop until a proper assessment of the environmental damage has been done. Far from reassuring the public that environmental concerns are being addressed, it highlights the inadequate and shoddy process that led to the approval of the road.".
ENDS
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Sep 2008
